The present application relates to a boom for a lift device. More particularly, the present application relates to a weighted boom assembly that reduces tail and chassis counterweight.
Traditional single tower articulated boom lifts may include a chassis and a turntable coupled to the chassis. An end of a first boom section is coupled to the turntable, and an opposing end of the first boom section is coupled to a second boom section with an upright. A lift cylinder elevates the first boom section and the second boom section thereby elevating an implement (e.g., work platform, forks, etc.) that is coupled to an end of the second boom section.
The lift device may experience forward instability as the implement is elevated (e.g., due to a cantilevered force applied to the implement. A counterweight coupled to the tail of turntable (i.e. a tail counterweight) or coupled to the chassis of lift device (e.g., a chassis counterweight) reduces forward instability by generating a counterbalance moment that opposes the destabilizing moment generated by the force on the implement. The lift device may also experience backward instability as the implement is elevated and the angle between the boom sections increases. It should be understood that tail counterweight may generate a destabilizing moment and contribute to backward instability. Traditional lift devices include significant tail and chassis counterweight to reduce forward and backward instability. However, such tail and chassis counterweight increases the overall weight of the lift device.